Chicago Cubs: So, about those David Ross as manager rumors

Chicago Cubs: There’s precedent for picking someone like Ross

Yet even if the Cubs were to retain Maddon, given his age and the stage of his career, he likely would only be around a couple more years, which means the Cubs should be thinking about who his replacement would be.

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Ross would certainly be a candidate and he might be well-served to be a bench coach or a minor league manager for a couple of years first. Although, he was already reportedly a candidate for the Minnesota Twins’ vacancy last offseason, so maybe he could do what Aaron Boone has done successfully and jump right into a managerial role in a big market.

Thinking about Ross potentially taking over as Cubs manager, I can’t help but think back to several years ago, when Ryne Sandberg was a candidate to manage the Cubs. I was against that hiring, but it wasn’t because I didn’t think Sandberg could do the job.

Rather, I was afraid that if he didn’t succeed (which was possible if not likely, given the Cubs’ lack of talent and lack of direction in the early 2010s), it would complicate his legacy as a Cubs legend.

Indeed, his tenure with the Philadelphia Phillies did not go well. Remember also that Alan Trammell‘s tenure as Detroit Tigers manager was nothing short of a disaster, either.